Conclusions: Autophagy has a dual role in diabetic retinopathy: under mild stress (50&nbsp;mg/l HOG-LDL) it is protective; under more severe stress (200&nbsp;mg/l HOG-LDL) it promotes cell death.

Electronic supplementary material: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-016-4058-5) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

Mentions:
LC3B immunohistochemistry was performed in retinas from individuals with type 2 diabetes with and without diabetic retinopathy, and from non-diabetic individuals. In diabetic retinas, punctate staining (indicating autophagosomes) was observed in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer, but in non-diabetic retinas, punctate staining was absent (Fig. 1a). Retinal protein lysates were analysed (western blotting) for LC3B and two other autophagy markers, ATG-5 and Beclin-1. LC3B and ATG-5 were higher in diabetic vs non-diabetic individuals, but retinopathy status had no effect; Beclin-1 levels tended to be higher in diabetic retinas (Fig. 1b). Overall, autophagy was increased in the diabetic retina; the similarity between those with and without retinopathy may reflect pre-clinical injury in people who appear disease-free.Fig. 1

Mentions:
LC3B immunohistochemistry was performed in retinas from individuals with type 2 diabetes with and without diabetic retinopathy, and from non-diabetic individuals. In diabetic retinas, punctate staining (indicating autophagosomes) was observed in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer, but in non-diabetic retinas, punctate staining was absent (Fig. 1a). Retinal protein lysates were analysed (western blotting) for LC3B and two other autophagy markers, ATG-5 and Beclin-1. LC3B and ATG-5 were higher in diabetic vs non-diabetic individuals, but retinopathy status had no effect; Beclin-1 levels tended to be higher in diabetic retinas (Fig. 1b). Overall, autophagy was increased in the diabetic retina; the similarity between those with and without retinopathy may reflect pre-clinical injury in people who appear disease-free.Fig. 1

Conclusions: Autophagy has a dual role in diabetic retinopathy: under mild stress (50&nbsp;mg/l HOG-LDL) it is protective; under more severe stress (200&nbsp;mg/l HOG-LDL) it promotes cell death.

Electronic supplementary material: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-016-4058-5) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.